Jio

India has dismissed Elon Musk's assertion that 'oligarchs' are responsible for blocking Starlink's entry into the country. New Delhi has pushed back on the accusation, which came amid an ongoing dispute over spectrum allocation for satellite internet services between Musk's Starlink and Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani's Jio. The disagreement has drawn significant attention in India.

JioHotstar, the merged streaming platform from Reliance Jio and Disney in India, is among the top trending searches this week. Interest comes as platforms roll out new titles, including the Aneet Padda-led Hunkkaar and Alia Bhatt-produced Don't Be Shy, highlighted in weekly OTT recommendations. Viewers are also tracking Malayalam cinema's strong box office run, with Nivin Pauly's Bethlehem Kudumba Unit crossing Rs 329.8 crore worldwide as it heads toward streaming.

Reliance Jio transformed Indian telecom with aggressive pricing and scale, forcing Airtel and others to consolidate. Now Elon Musk's Starlink is entering India, threatening to disrupt Jio the way Jio once disrupted the market. Commentators say the bigger question is what the rivalry means for market stability, affordability and India's telecom landscape overall.

Reliance Industries' Jio has filed its draft red herring prospectus for its long-awaited IPO, prompting analysts to weigh the telecom giant's growth prospects. An Economic Times analysis examines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats laid out in the filing, covering Jio's market dominance and subscriber base alongside risks including competition, pricing pressure and regulatory exposure.

India added 5.5 million mobile subscribers in August 2026, taking its total wireless base to 1.29 billion. Reliance Jio led with 2.4 million new users, followed by Airtel with 2.1 million, while Vodafone Idea added 506,000 and state-run BSNL gained 493,000. The figures underline Jio and Airtel's continued dominance of India's telecom market growth.

Indian streaming platform JioHotstar is moving into the Middle East market through partnerships with regional players rather than going it alone. The strategy lets the company, formed from the merger of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar, reach new audiences while relying on local partners for distribution and market knowledge in the Gulf region.

JioHotstar is expanding into the Middle East and North Africa through a partnership with streaming service Starzplay. Indian films, series, original productions and entertainment shows will appear in a dedicated section of the Starzplay app and website, rather than launching a separate JioHotstar platform in the region. The move gives the Indian streamer access to Starzplay's subscriber base across MENA without building its own local presence.

India's streaming platform JioHotstar is entering the Middle East not with its own standalone service but by being offered inside Starzplay, the regional streaming platform. The partnership route lets JioHotstar reach Middle East subscribers without building local infrastructure, while Starzplay adds Indian content to its catalogue. The move reflects a broader trend of streamers using local partners to expand internationally rather than launching alone.

JioStar has rolled out a new initiative called Beyond Boundaries, aimed at connecting advertisers with regional cricket audiences across India. The platform is designed to help brands reach viewers in different language markets through cricket content. Details on pricing, partners and rollout timelines have not yet been shared publicly.

JioGames has brought Cricket 26 to players in India, available through its Pro Pass subscription plans. The Economic Times reports details on pricing, how to access the game, and its key features, giving cricket fans a new way to play the sport on the platform.